Transfer apparatus and method



April 21, 1970 w WOOD, ETAL 3,507,216

TRANSFER APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed June 9, 1967 WESLEY M. WOOD sR. ALEXANDER S. CLARK United States Patent 3,507,216 TRANSFER APPARATUS AND METHOD Wesley M. Wood, Sr., 900 Bann St., Vidalia, Ga. 30474, and Alexander S. Clark, 304 N. Victory Drive, Lyons, Ga. 30436 Filed June 9, 1967, Ser. No. 644,904 Int. Cl. B41b 1/18 U.S. Cl. 101393 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of transferring forms and shapes, such as special letters, from a basic specimen to a location, such as engraving a marble surface like a grave marker on which the letter or other form or shape is to be reproduced, by centering each line from a base index adjusting the line thereto, clamping in place, coating the letters, transferring to transfer paper, then placing the paper on the surface to be engraved. The apparatus is a board having a center mark, movable straight edges defining lines, indicia on the lines. There may be a magnetic means on the edges of the board to hold metal straight edges in place.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Lettering and lettering guides and the transfer of a composite text or type form to a surface, especially where there is a special adjustment means for centering and holding the letters, should be considered. Possibly quad ding devices and printing frames might be considered as well as stenciling although the present method and device do not use cut stencils or typed stencils and the like. Also consider boards and supports having magnetic holding means thereon, such as drawing boards and work frames of various sorts.

Description of the prior art The general process of reproducing a specimen form or shape such as a letter is well known. For example, it is well known to use specimen letters of the alphabet which have been prepared in metal type or the like and through a carbon paper transfer process outline a combination of the letters on a surface for engraving, painting or the like. This is done by combining the letters in the proper line and spacing and then depositing a transfer material such as carbon to the surface of the face of the letters and thereafter rubbing same onto a piece of transfer paper which is then attached to the surface to be engraved. This is time consuming process and requires some amount of dexterity and experience or otherwise the resulting work is uneven and sloppy. The present method and apparatus is directed towards a simpler and more dependable way of doing this as well as a reliable apparatus which may be used by someone who has very little experience. Direct printing from a composite text, of course, is Well known but unsuitable for transferring the text to grave markers.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Generally described, the apparatus of the present invention comprises any sort of rigid flat surface such as a portable board made from a metal or wooden rectangular frame which may be covered with a suitable rigid material such as plywood or one of the many composition boards and large enough to accommodate the largest letters to be transferred in the longest line usually used. Along the top of the board and extending the full length thereof, which is accurately marked in the center, is a "ice line spacing indicator starting with zero in the center and having equally spaced indication marks numbered from the center leading outwardly to each end of theboard. 'On each side of the board at each end thereof and running the full width of the board from front to back is a magnetic strip which preferably is made from a metal support bracket covered with a conventional, flexible magnetic material. A'plurality of metal, magnetically-attracted, ruler-like, longitudinal, flat indicators and clamping members are placed across the length of the board and are retained thereon in selected position by means of a magnetic attraction between the members and the magnetic material on each side of each end of the board. Each of these indicator and clamping members is provided with indicia starting with the center mark and having numbers leading outwardly therefrom corresponding to the basic indicator on the board. The basic spacing between the numbers on the indicators may correspond to basic letter type specimens which are obtainable commercially and which have letters and numbers thereon in a particular type face and are embossed with the letter for transfer purposes. According to the method of the present invention, using the center on the board indicator as a starting point, assuming that a particular line of name is to be set-up and reproduced on transfer paper, the name is selected letter by letter from the available type and starting with the center indicator position, one of the movable ruler-like metal members is positioned on the board with its center location corresponding to the center of the board and the line is set-up and clamped in place by moving the movable member on the magnetic retaining means. Then, simply by loosening the metal member slightly, the line and in fact each letter in the line may be adjusted to center same according to the indicia on both the base indicator and the metal ruler and this is accomplished very quickly so that the line is completed ready for transfer. Other lines are similarly prepared through the use of the other movable magnetically attracted ruler-like members after the line and the spacing is obtained by using the type face and by moving the respective magnetically attracted ruler-like members, a transfer compound such as carbon is caused to be deposited on the face of the lettering and then a sheet of transfer paper is clamped tightly over the entire group and rubbed to cause the transfer onto said sheet.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a simpler and more expedient method of transferring forms and shapes from basic specimen material such as type faces to transfer sheets as when setting up lettering and numbers and transferring same to a surface as a grave marker for engraving thereon.

A further object of this invention resides in the simpler and more expedient method of transferring the form and shapes from basic specimens to transfer sheets.

Still another object of this invention resides in the means for retaining basic form and shape elements such as type faces in a line through the use of magnetically attracted and movable clamping members.

Another object of this invention resides in the particular construction of surface on which the basic arrangement is'performed whereby magnetic means is used on each end to hold a clamping means temporarily in place for adjustment thereon.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention as both to the method and apparatus thereof will be apparent upon reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is plan view of the apparatus of the present invention with specimen type faces partially set in place on one line.

FIG. 2 is a bottom edge elevation View of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of one of the straight edge, movable alignment and clamping members of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a specimen type face which may be used in conjunction with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a typical outline of a transferred text.

Referring to the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 which is designated generally and overall in assembly by reference numeral 10, a rectangular base is in the form of a rigid board 12 having a planar surface 14 thereon which is smooth and even and in one plane and which may be covered with any suitable material such as Formica or plywood or plastic material or the like. The rigid board 12 may be made from one sheet of rigid material such as plywood or fiber board or may be constructed from a plurality of wood strips suitably joined together much like a conventional portable drawing board. A handle 16 may be provided for transferring the board from one location to another.

Each edge of the board is provided with a longitudinal angle metal bracket member 18, 20 which is fastened in place by screws 22 or any other suitable means and which is covered out to the outer edge of the surface 14 with a strip of magnetic material 24 and which is a conventional marketed item resembling a rubber-like strip which is impregnated with particles that are suitably magnetized to attract those metals such as iron compounds that are attracted by magnetism. The strip 24 may be fastened in place by a cement or glue such as epoxy or any other suitable way.

Extending across the top of the board across the width thereof is a permanent indicator 28 which in the present form is made from a flat strip that has been lettered on the surface thereof with numbers 30 and space markings 32 of fairly accurate indication and corresponding to the particular size of type face, such as that shown in FIG. 4, which is to be used with the particular device manufactured. For example, if the board 10 is made for use in engraving flat stones such as grave markers and other stone markers, then a type face of approximately one inch or so would be used with the width of approximately three quarters of an inch on a type base slightly larger. Thus, each one of the increments 1, 2, etc, would be measured to correspond with the width of the particular type face or slug shown in FIG. 4. The center of the board 10 is marked by a line 36 or by any other means preferably not noticeably protruding from the sur face of the board and the center of the marker 28 is designated by an indicator 38. Thus, at all times the centering on the board may be observed and changes made accordingly.

A plurality of combined alignment and clamping members 40 are arranged on the board for movement thereon and each is identical with the other and comprises a longitudinal, flat and substantially thin metal strip 42 constructed from a metal that is responsive to and attracted by magnetism and having on the surface thereof by any means such as lithographing or painting for otherwise indicating or notating thereon a plurality of indicator numbers 44 and indicator space markers 46 broken down into smaller increments suitably marked on the surface of the member 40. Each of the members 40 is retained on the surface of the board 14 by means of the magnetic strips 24 on each edge of the board at 18, 20 and by slight force may be shifted both longitudinally and transversely on the surface of the board 14. The marker 28 has a raised front or lower edge 48 against which specimen letters 50 as shown in FIG. 4 may be positioned with the upper edge against the edge 48 and with the lower edge of the letter specimen 50 contacted by the upper edge of one of the locating and clamping members 40. It

is to be noted that the slugs or specimen letters 50 shown in FIG. 4 are commercially available in various sizes and type styles and are referred to herein as slugs such being made from a metal having a fiat substantially rectangular base 52 on which is a raised letter 54, sometimes referred to as embossed, and the letter itself 54 having spaced portions 56 separated by indented areas 58 so that the upper edges 60 may be coated with a transfer compound. A typical coating compound would be found as a coating itself on a common sheet of commercially available carbon transfer paper which is heavily coated with a colored carbon or other compound that readily transfers to edges 60 and is readily transferred by pressue therefrom.

In the method of the present invention, which is described for purposes of illustration in conjunction with the particular apparatus just described, knowing before hand the particular wording to be placed on the first line, as by sketching on a piece of paper or other notation, the operator starts at the center location 38 and places one of the letters 50 such as the number 0 shown in FIG. 1 on the right hand side of the central indicator 38 and immediately next to it and contacting it the number 2 so that the total 20 is centered. Then one of the combined alignment and clamping members 40 is moved into position against the bottom edge of the slug letter specimen 50 and against the number 20 therein and working from the central location the remainder of the line, which in the present example is the starting of the expression July 20, 1965 is placed in the line and shifted about the center location 38 with respect to the individual unit markers 1, 2, etc., until the line is properly centered at which time the clamping member 40 is moved into place being held thereat by means of the magnetic attraction between the magnetic edges 24 and the metallic member 42. Starting the second line, a second one of the combined clamping and alignment members 40 is moved into approximate position and the second line center is started at the center location 36.

After the complete text has been set up in one, two or more lines and properly aligned through the combined use of the center location 38 and the other indicia, a compound is transferred to the surface of all the letters 50 as by using the previously mentioned commercially available sheet of carbon transfer paper and placing it with the carbon surface contacting all of the surfaces of all of the letters 50 and then using any implement rubbing the back of the paper to transfer the colored compound to the edges 54 of all of the letters. After the edges 56 of all of the letters 50 have been coated, then a sheet of plain paper such as drafting tracing paper is placed on the board over the letters and may be clamped in place tightly thereon by placing one or more of the members 40 thereover. Then using any implement, the upper surface of the tracing paper is rubbed firmly across the surface of the edges 56 of the letters 50 thereby transferring all of the text to make an outline such as that shown partly in FIG. 5. Thereafter, this outline may be taped or otherwise attached to the surface of the stone or other surface to be engraved or may be cut out and positioned on the stone as desired. Following the outline of the letters which are on the tracing paper and taped to the stone, the engraver then uses a conventional engraving tool to cut accurately inside of the boundaries of the letters thereby making it a neat and accurate engraved lettering on the surface of the stone. This method is much simpler than that previously employed where the various types of frames and quadding-like devices were used for the set-up of the lettering and the transfer process. The apparatus used in conjunction with the present method is much simpler and less expensive, as illustrated by the present novel apparatus described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method for transferring a form and-or shape from a basic specimen or combination thereof, such as transfer type-faces that are combined from a plurality of individual type members into a composite text, as when setting-up text material in type-face to be transferred to a surface as a stone marker for engraving thereon, the improvement comprising the steps of:

(a) centering each line of the text material on a flat surface starting with the approximate center of the line in relation to a fixed base index center point,

(b) adjusting the line until it is centered with respect to said center point,

(c) clamping the line in place and thereafter in similar fashion setting up additional lines,

(d) coating the surface of the letters with at ransfer material such as carbon and the like,

(e) placing a sheet of transfer paper over all of the surface of the forms and shapes to be transferred and rubbing same to transfer the transfer material to the surface of the sheet,

(f) thereafter placing the forms and shapes so transferred on the surface of the object which is to be marked and engraved (i) clamping said lines in place by means of movable members, having each end comprising metal, magnetically attracted material,

(j) creating a magnetic field at each end of said flat surface in (a) to attract and releasably hold said metal in said members,

(k) and clamping one line between a fixed member on said flat surface and one of the movable members and clamping the other lines by using a movable member at the bottom of the line above and another movable member at the bottom of the line.

2. In an apparatus for setting up forms and/or shapes such as letters and numbers from conventional type-faces arranged in one or more lines of text material, and for retaining same so that the composite arrangement may be transferred to a transfer sheet, the arrangement comprising:

(a) a rigid base having a flat, rigid surface thereon,

(b) a fixed reference indicator across the board at the top thereof and having a raised edge extending therealong,

(0) one or more movable indicator and clamping members on said board and each being constructed from a material including magnetically attracted material,

(d) each of said indicators having a center position marked thereon and having from said center a plurality of numbered graduations extending outwardly to each of the respective edges of the board and the spacing of said graduations corresponding with the particular size of a fixed specimen form-shape element such as a type-face to be used thereon, and

(e) a magnetic means on each edge of said board for attracting and removably retaining each of said magnetically-attracted and movable clamping members thereon.

3. The device in claim 2, wherein: each of said members elongated and substantially flat and thin and extends the full width of the board.

4. The device in claim 2, wherein: said base is a flat board and said indicator in (b) is a line across the board with numbers from the center outwardly toward opposite ends, said movable indicator and clamping members are flat ruler-like elements having a magnetically attracted material at each end, said magnetic means on each edge in (e) being a strip of magnet material along said edge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,105,758 8/1914 Clippinger et a1. 101-393 2,518,204 8/1950 Victor et a1.

2,902,930 9/1959 Hurlbut 101381 2,942,544 6/ 1960 Williams.

3,298,124 1/1967 Jahn 40-156 3,330,210 7/1967 Hobbs et al. 101426 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner E. H. EICKHOLT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 101426 

